23.1 Million Americans Chose Marketplace Health Plans for 2026

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2026 Open Enrollment Report in March, and the headline number is striking: 23.1 million consumers selected or were automatically re-enrolled in health coverage through HealthCare.gov and the state-based exchanges.

That is about 1.2 million fewer than the 2025 record, but still nearly 1.7 million more than 2024 and 6.8 million more than 2023 — a 41% jump in just three years. The individual marketplace has become a permanent pillar of how working Americans get covered.

Plan choices shifted notably. Forty percent of enrollees picked bronze plans (up 10 points), 43% chose silver, and 17% gold. And for the first time, all bronze and catastrophic plans are HSA-eligible — 43% of HealthCare.gov enrollees landed in HSA-eligible plans, up from just 2% the year before.

Affordability remains the story beneath the numbers: nearly half of enrollees (46%) had household incomes between 100% and 150% of the federal poverty level, and the vast majority received financial assistance. CMS also ended premium tax credit payments or coverage for nearly 1.5 million people found ineligible or enrolled without authorization.

What it means for you: if you buy your own health coverage, the marketplace is stable, competitive, and — for most enrollees — heavily subsidized. But with enhanced premium tax credits expiring, comparing plans carefully this year matters more than ever. Source: CMS Health Insurance Exchanges 2026 Open Enrollment Report.